Monday, 4 February 2013

he was a sk8er boi.

i hope you all remember being a pre-teen as well as i do. watching lizzie mcguire, going to discos in your school's hall, and thinking your clothes were just the epitome of fashion. well, hopefully we've all come a long way since then, but here's a nostalgic look at my most missed trends of my tween/teenage years...

1.) AVRIL LAVIGNE!

i would love to find one person who didn't go through an avril lavigne phase. i was a crazy lavigne fan, with her posters on my wall and knowing all the words to every song and screaming as loud as i could to those angsty second album tracks. she inspired a lot of my fashion choices, such as wearing ties. this, in hindsight, wasn't as ironic as i thought it was, and looked a bit silly... but at the time wearing my dad's tie on top of my cherokee t-shirt was the biz. i also loved wearing sweatbands and fingerless gloves when i was in my avril days - these usually had patterns of skulls or something that said 'rock on' on them. shameful.

2.) Wearing Your School Shoes...EVERYWHERE.

so, i don't think i'm the only person to have done this. there was a time, probably in primary school, where my school shoes were worn with every outfit. even on the weekends they would grace my feet. and they would never be stylish cool ones, no, they'd most likely be big, black, clumpy ones with a velcro strap. they would go with everything - from my Matalan jeans to my Adams cords, they would be the centre of any outfit choice. don't pretend you didn't too.

3.) Tammy Girl.

nowadays, we have topshop, ark, miss selfridge... but i'm guessing all of you who shop there now used to adore tammy. it was a big treat getting something from tammy - i recall my favourite purchase being atop that said 'funky monkey' on it, with a monkey sliding down a rainbow. this love was augmented when i saw Justine Littlewood wearing it on Tracy Beaker. that was a big deal. but, i'm sure there is one piece from tammy which everyone got... and is probably lurking away in a wardrobe somewhere... the 'bad girl' baggy jeans with a pink chain. oh yes, these were EVERYWHERE. the rebellious width of the jean, the neon pink writing on the bum, the long pink chain... it all just screams 'fashion forward' doesn't it?

4.) Combat Trousers with Tassles.

i'm not sure if this may have just been where i live, but these used to be a hit at school discos. i think they came from new look, and tended to be a combat material in a variety of colours, with a gazillion pockets and tassles hanging from the sides. if you were really adventurous, you would even have a cuffed ankle. these were the real sign that you were a cool kid... especially if worn with your school shoes.

5.) Fake Tattoos, Body Glitter, Hair Springs.

how could i forget the beauty hits of our preteen era? fake tattoos were normally best if they came from claire's, i personally liked little butterflies or a chinese swirl. i'd normally wear them on my arm (classy) or on my hands (stupid). only problem was when they were starting to come off, and i was far too relectant to let go of my tattoo, and you were left with flaky pieces on your arm... not a good look. body glitter is something i secretly wish was acceptable. you'd literally roll it all over your arms until you were smothered in a bit of a smelly, glittery mess. what's wrong with that??? now, the best hair accessory that i can remember, were hair springs. these were little tiny springs in different colours, normally with gems on either side. you'd simply clip them in random places all over your head - and there you have it - super cool hair for the disco! top tip - looked even better if your hair was crimped.

so there you have it, my nostalgic look at my old fashions. it all seemed so easy (and cheap) then! what were yours? xo